The present invention relates to apparatus for handling flaccid articles and more particularly to apparatus for removing flaccid articles from forms and stacking them in laid out condition. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the apparatus is directed to removing hosiery from boarding forms and stacking the hosiery in laid out condition while manipulating the receiving means to form the hosiery in a stack of crosswise layers.
Flaccid articles, such as hosiery, are difficult to handle with automatic equipment where it is desirable to stack the articles in laid out condition and to build a stack of the laid out articles. Examples of prior art apparatus for stripping hosiery from boarding forms and depositing on tables or trays are disclosed in Coulston et al U.S. Pat. No. 1,126,619 and Griffin U.S. Pat. No. 2,136,902, which disclose grippers for the heel and toe of hosiery on horizontally disposed boards, with the grippers or boards movable horizontally to strip the hosiery from the boards and allow the hosiery to drop generally flat onto a receiving table therebelow. Another prior art example is Brewin et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,074, which discloses grippers engaging the heel and toe of hosiery on boarding forms with separation of the grippers and forms resulting in the hosiery being engaged by the grippers and hanging therefrom with the grippers moving to draw the hosiery over a deflector plate moving into a tray with the deflector plate serving to restrain the hanging hosiery in somewhat laid out condition as the hosiery is drawn into the tray by the grippers.
With these prior art strippers, the hosiery is uncontrolled and requires either a specific close proximity between the form and receiving table or some type of special element for guiding and positioning the hosiery as the mechanism carriers it in a somewhat uncontrolled disposition to the collection table or tray. In contrast, the present invention provides an apparatus that removes articles from forms in a laid out disposition and maintains the articles in this disposition until it releases them onto receiving means, thereby providing controlled and accurate stacking of articles in an automatic operation.